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Jimmy Carr: The one thing you shouldn’t joke about is Hillsborough

Comedian Jimmy Carr has claimed in a interview with Radio Four’s Kirsty Young that the one thing an entertainer in the UK shouldn’t joke about is the Hillsborough tragedy.

In 1989, 96 Liverpool fans lost their lives in a crush which was caused by police incompetence. The subsequent accusations towards the city, the police cover-up, and the vile manner in which the tragedy was covered by the media, has made the following years an enormous struggle for those in the fight for justice.

Last year, justice was partly served as it was legally announced that the supporters were not to blame in any way for the disaster.

Now, the families are fighting for police prosecutions, and will continue to do so.

“I would say the one thing you can never joke about in the UK is Hillsborough. It’s a tragedy that has touched people in a very specific way and I cannot imagine anyone ever coming up with a joke about that,” he told Radio Four, cited in the Telegraph.

When asked by the presenter why Hillsborough is different to the Aberfan disaster, which saw 116 children and 18 adults die, Carr tried to explain.

“I haven’t analysed it in any great detail but it does strike me, most things heal with time to a degree and [Hillsborough] hasn’t,” he said.

“[But] you can joke about religion and I do often. You can joke about death, you can joke about murders, and you can joke about disasters.”

The reason Hillsborough hasn’t healed with time is because the city and the families have been persecuted in such a way that it’s been impossible for anyone to let go. The closure Liverpool desperately needs has only started, but proper justice must be served to the authority figures who lied for so long.